Similarity
by queenof3aces
Summary: The NCIS team takes in a teenage girl who reminds everyone of Ziva. NOTE: Ziva is not in the story other than when she is mentioned.
1. Daughter

Author's Note: I'm going to apologize in advance if this is kind of slow at first. And this is my first fanfiction, so please be forgiving if it's not very good.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the members of the NCIS team.

The two women were alone, trekking through the uneven ground of Evansburg State Park. They had chosen not to take the designated trail. They were less likely to be noticed this way. They were nearly silent as they approached the first target. Suddenly, it came into view. Just as they had suspected, it was right on the edge of the trail. The first woman crouched low to the ground. She aimed right at the unsuspecting creature. She had no problems with steadying her arms; she was a very practiced shot. As usual, she was not shooting to kill. After she focused in on her target, she took her shot. Her weapon of choice made almost no sound, besides a small _click. _She stood up and grinned at her partner.

"Well, I'd say that was one of my better pictures, don't you think?" She spoke rather loudly, for now she did not care if her target was scared away.

She showed her partner the newly taken picture of the sparrow. Her partner looked at it with nothing more than a glance. This woman was not interested in taking pictures, unless they were of her and her friends.

"You know that nobody ever looks at who takes the pictures in the calendar, right? So you're not getting any fame out of doing this." This woman did not understand her friend's fascination in photographs.

As the two women began to argue over the first woman's occupation, they began to walk back up towards the parking lot. Once they had reached the road leading to it, they were stopped by the sound of a gunshot. While they were running for cover behind a large boulder, the photographer turned her camera onto its video setting, for she had just seen a car speeding down the road. She hoped that this would aid the police investigation, assuming that this car had anything to do with the shot that had been fired. As the car rapidly neared their hiding place, the woman gasped as she noticed that the windshield was spattered with blood. The car was out of control, and veering towards their side of the road. The women ran out of the way as the car began to tumble down the hill.

Once the car had stopped, the pair crept forward to check to see if anyone was alive. The woman with the camera was in the lead. She held the camera steadily aimed at the wreck as her friend called the police. The woman was saddened to see that no soul was alive in that crushed mass of metal. The only two occupants were the driver, a man, and the passenger, a woman. Being sure not to touch anything, the two women carefully left the scene.

Tony Dinozzo would once have began his day at work by strutting out of the elevator and greeting his partner, Ziva David, with a cheery, "Mornin' sweetcheeks!" And then perhaps a small bit of teasing Timothy McGee, just for his own entertainment. Sadly, this hadn't occurred in quite a while. Everyone at NCIS had noticed that Tony wasn't his usual obnoxious self. And everyone at NCIS knew why. Ziva David had left NCIS to return permanently to Mossad, leaving nearly everyone to mourn her as if she had died. To most people, she had. Tony was the one person who had been the most affected by the loss of Ziva. Anyone who looked at him could see it. He blamed himself, and Ziva had blamed him too. _He _had been the one to go to her apartment. _He _had been the one to shoot her boyfriend. _He _had been the one to lose her trust. Tony never made movie references anymore. He hardly ever laughed. He worked late into the night. To Gibbs' great regret, he never trusted his own judgment. No one ever wanted to be around him. He was just too depressing. McGee almost missed being called 'Probie' or 'McGeek.' Now it was just Tim. Tony never did anything stupid, or funny, or anything even remotely Tony-like. Abby Sciuto, Forensics Extraordinaire, missed his signature Dinozzo grin.

So that morning, Tony Dinozzo sat down at his designated desk and greeted his coworker with a rather gloomy, "Hello, Tim." McGee only looked up and nodded to acknowledge that he had heard. This was a typical morning.

After a few minutes, Gibbs walked in. "Get your things, we're heading up north."

On their way to the elevator, McGee inquired, "How far north?"

"Just north of Philadelphia, McGee."

"That far? Uh - I mean – er – what for?"

"Well, McGee, it might have something to do with the dead Navy captain. But frankly, I'm not completely sure." Gibbs replied sarcastically.

Since Philadelphia was a bit too far away to make frequent trips to the crime scene, a place to stay for the duration of the investigation was a necessity. Once all bags were hastily packed, McGee, Gibbs, and Dinozzo started their trip. McGee got the backseat in the car, as usual. Things hadn't changed that much.

After one long, uneventful, and nearly silent car ride, the team, or what was left of it, was happy to see the crime scene. Officer Millden of the State Police met them at the scene to update them on the investigation. The three arrived at the edge of the road and looked down at the wreck. It was a heap of twisted metal that was only recognizable as a car courtesy of the wheels and what remained of the windows.

"The accident was called in at about 9:15 this morning by a photographer and a friend of hers. They said they were heading up to the road to follow it back to the parking lot. The photographer said she got a video of the accident, so we got her camera to give to you. Be sure to give it back to her. She didn't seem too happy to be parting with it." Millden explained calmly.

"We'll be sure to do that, Officer." Gibbs replied.

"Alright, good. Well, anyway, the accident. The victims are a Navy captain and a woman that looks to be his wife. We don't know any more than that. Right when we found out he was Navy, we left it to you."

"How kind of you." Gibbs' voice was generously laced with saracasm.

"Okay, well, I'll leave you to it,. Good luck!" With those wishes, the Officer was on his way.

___________________________________________________________________________________

The investigation of the scene was tedious, and made even more so by the steep incline of the hill. Once reaching the car, they realized that the only things keeping it from falling into the creek were the trees that it was propped up against. Well, those and all of the other trees between the car and the water. With the assistance of the State Troopers, the two bodies were extracted from the car and sent to Dr. Mallard, affectionately known as Ducky, in Washington D.C.. However, this was not before careful photographing of the scene. On the hill above the road, the team found three shell casings and a few burnt out cigarettes. This was where the shooter was presumed to have waited.

Following the investigation, the team headed to the motel that they had picked out, picking up pizza on the way. Once the pictures had been emailed to Abby, and the large pizza had been devoured, along with Gibbs' last cup of coffee for the day, the team retired for the night.

They awoke the next morning to information from Abby.

"Okay, so, the man in the car was Naval Captain Sean Connoway. Tony, you may feel free to do the James Bond voice for the next five seconds." Abby said as she began to count.

"Three." Corrected Gibbs.

"Three seconds." Abby repeated.

"I wasn't going to, Abbs." This earned Tony an utterly shocked look from McGee.

_He must be further gone than I had suspected. _McGee speculated. _Oh, wait, he's smiling, there's hope yet._

Abby took the moment to continue rattling off information. "The woman in the car was indeed his wife, Eileen Connoway. She works in a bakery, and happened to tell a friend who works there about how she and her husband were taking a trip. She requested to take off work for three days, so I'm assuming that that's how long her vacation is. They- oh, no."

"What is it, Abbs?" Gibbs asked.

"It says here that neither of them have any living relatives other than....."

"Other than** who**, Abby?" Anyone could see that Gibbs was getting irritated.

"Other than their fifteen-year-old daughter, Gibbs. And Mrs. Connoway told that same friend that they were leaving her at home." Abby finally finished.

"Damn. Give me the address, Abbs."

Abby gave the address to Gibbs, and he and Tony went to get the girl, while McGee was left behind to hear what else Abby had found.

While hurrying to the car, Tony had a realization. "Gibbs, if someone wanted to kill the parents, then do you think they would try to kill their daughter, too?"

"It's possible, Dinozzo. That's why I'm coming along."

Upon arriving at the house, Gibbs and Dinozzo approached the front door. Gibbs turned to Tony and said, "If the girl doesn't answer the door, we go in anyway." Tony nodded his agreement. Gibbs knocked on the door and waited for a reply. There was none, so he knocked again, just to be sure. There was no reply again. After nodding at Tony, he shouted, "Federal Agents!" and broke down the door.

Upon entering the house Gibbs and Dinozzo checked the first room they entered. They realized that on the first floor, there was no divider between the rooms, so Gibbs went upstairs, while Tony went to check the kitchen, which was the only room that you couldn't see from the doorway. Tony took two steps into the room, and was met with a small problem. Along knife was being held to his throat. From a short distance away, he heard a forceful, yet shaky, female voice.

"Drop the gun, and get out of my house."


	2. Most of the Agency

Just so you know, most of the rest of the story is going to be based on what Elizabeth knows. And she's not going to be there most of the time when the team is investigating outside of headquarters, so she's probably not going to know the details of what happens then.

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS. The iPod belongs to Apple.

* * *

_"Drop the gun, and get out of my house."_

A long knife with a thin, sharp looking blade was being held to Tony's throat. Part of him wanted to explain to the girl that he was a federal agent here to protect her from anyone that could possibly want to kill or otherwise hurt her. But another part of him knew that she could possibly slit his throat if he tried to talk.

"If you move to point that gun at me, I will cut your throat. I might get shot in the process, but I will still cut your throat." There was a strange sense of calm in the girl's voice. However, underneath it, there was a sea of fear, nervousness, and yet, Tony could sense just enough anger to make her slice his neck open.

At this moment, Tony realized why this girl was acting so hostile, even though he and Gibbs had announced that they worked for the government. There was an electric mixer on the counter, and it was still plugged in, which meant that it had just been on. But, more importantly, there was an iPod laying on the counter still playing loud enough that Tony could almost make out the words.

Since he knew that this was the best way to save both his life and the girl's, Tony risked speaking. "Are you Elizabeth Connoway?"

"No." The girl's answer was blunt, and her lips were slightly pressed together.

"Okay, but if you were, we'd be here to protect you."

The girl who was "not" Elizabeth Connoway stepped slowly down from the counter top, being careful to keep the knife at Tony's throat.

"Why should I believe you? And put the gun on the counter." The girl was getting better at keeping the emotion out of her voice, but it was not yet completely gone.

Tony did as she asked, and she was quick to pick it up and use it to replace the knife in her hand. He noted that her hand did not shake. _Odd, you'd think a little girl's hand would be shaking like hell in this situation, right?_ Tony thought.

Right then, they heard quick footsteps coming down the stairs. _Gibbs, thank GOD._ The girl's head inclined slightly towards the sound, but her gaze did not leave Tony's face.

"TONY! How long does it take to check one damn room?" Gibbs belted.

"Longer than you'd think, boss."

Gibbs' eyebrows shot up from their original frustrated scowl when he entered the kitchen. "Miss Connoway, I'd appreciate it if you didn't shoot my agent."

"I will not if you prove to me that you are really federal agents." Her voice was completely composed now. And please put your gun on the floor, Mr....."

"Gibbs." he said while obliging to her request.

"Mr. Gibbs. Thank you." Gibbs nodded and gave a reassuring smile in response.

"Hey, why are you being polite to him and not me?" Tony couldn't help himself.

"Because I have decided that I like him better." Gibbs smirked while Tony scowled. He still had a gun pointed at his face, after all.

"Now, Miss, in order to prove to you that we're agents, I'm going to have reach into my pocket to get my badge." The girl nodded, but narrowed her eyes. For the first time, she pointed Tony's gun at Gibbs.

Gibbs slowly and deliberately took out his badge and gave it to the girl. The girl nodded once she had looked at it long enough to just about convince her. She gave it back to Gibbs.

"Okay, but just for reassurance purposes, I would like to keep his gun until you leave. I promise I won't shoot either of you unless you attack me." Tony was about to object, but Gibbs silenced him with a look. "Now you can tell me why you're here. He," she said nodding toward Tony, "said that it was something about protecting me. Why would I need protecting?"

Gibbs and Dinozzo glanced at each other. "You might want to sit down," Tony said. She sat on one of the chairs at her kitchen table. Tony continued, "Your parents-"

"What happened to them?" She questioned, standing up as she did so.

"They were killed yesterday morning."

The girl sat down again. Her face had been taken over by an exceedingly blank look. "How?"

"They were driving along a road in Evansburg. Your father was in the drivers' seat and was shot in the head."

"Tony, would it kill you to be more sensitive?" Gibbs asked. That was another change. Tony might not have been the most sensitive man before, but now he was almost cold. He was slightly nicer to Abby, though.

"No, it is fine. I like to hear it straight. All that "It is alright sweetie, you are going to be okay" stuff really gets on my nerves."

_ No contractions. Strange. Hey, wait a minute. No contractions, tight control of emotions, no caring sensitivity. She's just like-_ Tony winced. He didn't want to think about _her._

"Are you in pain?" The girl asked.

"No, but you _should_ be."

"They really are dead?"

Gibbs took over. He knew who Tony was thinking of. It was always the same person when he looked in pain. "Yes. And we think there's a possibility that whoever killed your parents might want to kill you too."

"So you want to put me in protective custody for a while. Oh, and just so you know, I am Elizabeth Connoway."

"Yes. And for the time being, that means us. So go upstairs and pack a bag." Gibbs instructed. Elizabeth hurried upstairs.

"Boss, did you notice anything familiar about her? I mean, did she, ya know, remind you of anyone?" Gibbs was silent for a while. No hint of what he was thinking appeared on his face. Tony was apprehensive.

"Yeah, Tony, I see her in this girl too." Tony was relieved that it wasn't just him.

Two minutes later, Elizabeth came down carrying a plain black duffel bag that revealed absolutely nothing about her.

"Damn. And I was hoping I could get a clue about her personality by her bag," Tony muttered to Gibbs.

"It is intentionally plain. I do not want complete strangers to know anything about me. Oh, and I am not offended by swearing. Okay, so where is the car?"

* * *

The car ride to the hotel was mostly silent. Gibbs and Tony were just getting used to it when Elizabeth spoke.

"What did my parents do to anyone? Why would someone want them dead? I never saw them do anything bad. But then again, they would probably keep it from me if they did, right?" The fact that she had no family had just set in. _But that does NOT mean that anyone is going to see me wailing about it. That would be unnecessary. I can just cry when I am alone_.

"You're probably right. But it could have been related to your dad's work. The killer might not have seen your mom in the car," Gibbs explained. Elizabeth nodded.

"I believe we got off to a bad start," Tony began. Elizabeth scoffed, making Tony wince at the familiar memory. "I'm Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo."

"Elizabeth Connoway."

"So, there are tons of nicknames for the name Elizabeth. There's Liz, Lizzy, Beth, Betty-"

"What Dinozzo's eventually going to ask is if there's anything other than your full name that you like to be called." Gibbs stated, earning a pout from Tony and a slight smile from Elizabeth.

"People called me Lizzy, but eventually, that just got shortened to Z. So you can call me Z."

Tony looked like he was about to choke, and Elizabeth picked up on it. "Are you all right? Do you get carsick easily?" Tony shook his head. She turned to Gibbs. "Do you know why he looks like that?"

Gibbs knew why Tony looked sick, but thought it best not to tell Elizabeth at the moment. "He probably has a headache. He gets them when he doesn't get enough coffee. And I think we'll stick with Lizzy. The whole team is probably going to stick with Lizzy. In fact, most of the agency will."

"I'm going to meet most of the agency?" She asked, wide eyed.

Gibbs nodded. "When we get back to the hotel, I'm going to have my other agent, McGee, take you to Washington."


	3. Post Pennsylvania

**Sorry about the long wait for updates. I'm not the fastest writer.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the NCIS characters**

_"When we get back to the hotel, I'm going to have my other agent, McGee, take you to Washington."_

Elizabeth's mind was in a whirlwind. First, thinking people had broken into her house. Then finding out that her parents were dead. And now, leaving her home to go to the nation's capital with a federal agent. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She kept silent for the rest of the car ride.

Gibbs parked the car at the small, contemporary inn. They all got out, and Gibbs, mistaking her silence for sadness, said, "It's for your own protection, you know."

She looked straight at him, and replied with, "I know, it's just a lot of things to take in."

Gibbs nodded. "Hey, any reason you're using contractions now?" He inquired as they stepped into the elevator, with Tony getting silently in with them.

"I tend not to use them when I'm scared, surprised, or getting over one of those feelings or feelings like them. It's just that for some reason, I feel the need to make sure people understand what I'm saying."

They walked out of the lift and proceeded to complete the short walk to the room. Gibbs opened the door and went in first, holding the door wide for her. He made a sweeping motion with his arm and smiled at her, gesturing for her to enter. Surprising herself, she suddenly thought that she wouldn't have minded if Gibbs had been her father.

"You can put your bag anywhere." The toilet flushed inside the bathroom. "_Why_ is McGee in the bathroom?!"

"My guess is that he had to use the toilet." Lizzy stated, completely confused as to why this 'McGee' wasn't all owed to urinate. She glanced at Tony, whose expression suggested that this was a reasonable question. She rolled her eyes. She hadn't even met McGee, and she already liked him better than she did Tony.

The tap turned on. Gibbs slammed his fist into the door twice. "MCGEE! GIVE ME AN EXCUSE AS TO WHY YOU AREN'T WORKING ON THIS CASE!"

The tap turned off and a flustered looking man, McGee, Lizzy assumed, came running out of the bathroom. "I'm so sorry, boss," he breathed. "I was trying, but I just couldn't concentrate."

Then he spotted Elizabeth. His eyes went wide for a moment, but he blinked quickly a few times and controlled his expression. However, Elizabeth picked up on his apparent shock.

_No, it's not her. Control your thoughts, McGee. _ At first glance, he had thought she had been someone he knew. _She does look like her, though, doesn't she? _McGee noticed her dark brown eyes, her curly brown hair, and olive toned skin. But this girl was shorter and much younger.

"Er, you must be Elizabeth. Tim McGee," he said as he put out his hand. She shook it and smiled.

"Actually, I like to be called Z, short for Lizzy, but Gibbs said that everyone's just going to call me Lizzy."

"Well, in that case, nice to meet you Lizzy." McGee shot a quick look at Tony, who was pretending that they were all gone.

_What's that man got against calling me Z? _She decided that she didn't like Tony at all. She got the feeling that he was a very melancholy sort of person.

"McGee, pack your bags, you're going back to D.C." McGee looked stunned.

"Bu-bu-but all-all I did was use the bathroom!" His eyes bulged in shock.

Tony took the opportunity to finally speak. "You're taking _her _with you, Tim."

Elizabeth's eyebrows shot up. "In case you are extraordinarily slow, I do have a name, and I would appreciate it if you would use it, _Agent Dinozzo._" Tony looked irritated, and was about to respond in a most-likely-rude way, but Gibbs spoke up.

"McGee hurry up. She's just waiting on you."

_I might not mind staying here if I understood what _his _problem is. _She could almost feel the dislike steadily radiating from Tony's direction. Needless to say, she was glad when McGee had gathered his belongings and nodded towards the door. As she took her first step, a slight feeling of worry entered her mind. Not that she'd ever admit that to anyone. Gibbs made her feel safe, It wasn't that McGee didn't seem nice enough, but there was something about Gibbs that made her know that she could trust him.

She considered asking when she would be seeing him, but thought better of it. _That would be such a weak thing to do. Then they'd all know she was afraid. _So instead, she smiled at Gibbs and did her best to ignore Tony. They both returned the gesture.

She walked to the car with McGee, trying to hold herself in a way that would let him know that she wasn't scared. They reached the car and Lizzy climbed into the passenger seat, while McGee obviously took the wheel. Back in the room, Tony had had a revelation.

"Shit, boss, we don't have a car."

Elizabeth, on the other hand, had no transportation issues. She was with a federal agent, in a car that was working just fine, and on her way to a place she knew was safe. However, as the wheels turned against the road and she listened to the hum of the engine, a part of her mind was aware that she was leaving her home behind.

McGee didn't exactly know what to say. Teenagers were something he didn't know how to deal with. He cringed internally as he remembered his high school years. It seemed to McGee that Elizabeth didn't mind not talking. _Not your usual teenager then. I guess we all figured that out._

It was easy for Elizabeth not to think at all, and watch the trees and the road flash by without putting any consideration into what she was seeing. The first thing that registered in her head was the "Welcome to Maryland" sign. The significance of this sign made it's way into Elizabeth's head, and, before she could stop it, to her face. McGee noticed.

"You okay?" he asked hesitantly. _God, I hope she doesn't burst into tears._

Elizabeth was tempted to tell McGee how not okay she was. He seemed trustworthy to her, but she'd only known him for an hour or so. She would probably tell him eventually, but for now, he didn't need to know. "I am fine." Then, seeing the disbelieving look on McGee's face, she added, "I am positive."

A little ways on, McGee heard a groan from the nearly silent girl next to him. "I left the cookie dough on the counter!"

Gibbs and Tony had solved their car dillema. They had called the state troopers and asked them if they could borrow a car. The troopers weren't happy, but after a short chat with Gibbs, they were thrilled to hand over a set of keys. Gibbs and Dinozzo were told that NCIS would be paying if there was any damage to the car.

The pair was currently heading to the Connoway house to, well, investigate a murder. Gibbs' phone began to ring, and he answered. He heard McGee's voice on the other end.

_"Boss, when are you going back to Elizabeth's house?"_

"On our way there now, McGee. What do you need?"

_"Could you put the cookie dough in the refrigerator? Oh, and I was the one who decided to call you, not Lizzy. Just thought that she'd want me to tell you that." _

"Why would she want you to tell me that, McGee?"

_"Well, I, uh, I thought that, most teenaged girls would be embarrassed to ask something like that."_

"Sure, McGee, we'll put the cookie dough in the refrigerator."

_"Thanks, boss" _And with that, McGee hung up. Tony looked a his boss with two raised eyebrows. Gibbs just shook his head.

"Who were you just talking to?" Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at McGee.

"Oh,Uh, just Abby, our forensic scientist. She likes kids, and she's just, uh, excited to meet you." _Well, that's only partially a lie, _McGee thought.

Elizabeth cracked a smile for the first time since Dinozzo had walked into her kitchen. "I am not a kid, McGee."

While pondering how to start to get to know McGee, who was looking to be her first post- Pennsylvania friend, she felt her eyelids droop. She leaned her head back onto the headrest and let herself drift off to sleep. Once he saw her completely relax, McGee smiled. _Well, she's had a lot of stuff to take in._

Elizabeth was more than half asleep when she suddenly found herself outside the car, with her bag in her hand. Then she was in an elevator.... McGee took her bag from her and put it down, somewhere,.... she was in another elevator.... loud music reached her ears.... all she wanted to do was sleep...then- suddenly, she was jolted awake. Her eyes flew open just in time to see the pair of black-clad arms that surrounded her.

"YoumustbeElizabeth-Areyouokay-Iamsosorryaboutyourparents. I'm Abby by the way."

_What?_

**Just so you guys know, Elizabeth might not be emotional or like to show her emotions, but she will do so at points. This is because she is still young, and hasn't been trained not to show feelings.**


	4. Every Friday Night

**Disclaimer: I do not, and most likely never will, own any of the characters in NCIS**

* * *

"_YoumustbeElizabeth-Areyouokay-Iamsosorryaboutyourparents. I'm Abby by the way."_

**What?**

All Elizabeth could do was stare. She blinked slowly a few times and shook her head. "Excuse me? I did not quite catch that." And, just as McGee had done when he had seen Lizzy for the first time, Abby went wide-eyed. She, however, wasn't the type to stop and stutter.

"Oh, sorry, I just got a little excited there for a second. I said, 'You must be Elizabeth. Are you okay? I am so sorry about your parents. I'm Abby by the way.'"

McGee couldn't help but ask, "Hold on a minute. Abby, how many Caf-POWs have you had today?" Even he, who was accustomed to Abby, had had difficulty under standing her when he walked in the door.

_Caf-POW? What's a Caf-POW? _This was something very new to Elizabeth.

Abby just pursed her lips and looked at McGee for a few long moments. Then she turned to Elizabeth and held out her hand. "Abby Sciuto, Forensics Extraordinaire," she stated.

"Elizabeth Connoway, fifteen year old," said Elizabeth matter-of-factly.

Abby was just about to open her mouth to speak, when McGee had a thought.

"Oh! I should probably let Gibbs know that I got you here. I'll be right back down."

Elizabeth nodded, smiling at McGee as he left the lab. She turned to face a very excited, over-caffeinated forensic scientist.

Gibbs and Dinozzo had arrived at the Connoway household. Gibbs had made sure that the cookie dough was safely in the refrigerator before getting down to business. He and Tony had gone upstairs and into the master bedroom, which seemed to be shared by Sean Connoway and his wife.

"What are we looking for, Boss?"

Gibbs just gave Tony an '_Are-you-really-asking-me-that?'_ look before replying, "A reason why someone would want to shoot them, DiNozzo."

After about twenty minutes of searching, Gibbs' cell phone rang. It was McGee.

"Yeah, McGee?"

_"Just wanted to let you know that I got Lizzy to the Naval Base safely."_

"Thanks, McGee" Gibbs glanced up as Tony pointed at a small calendar that he was holding up.

Gibbs cut McGee's _"You're welcome" _ short by snapping the phone shut. He walked over to where his agent was standing. Noticing Tony's furrowed eyebrows, he asked, "Something not making sense?"

DiNozzo looked up, asking, "What's cop?"

"What some people would call us, DiNozzo." Now Gibbs was the confused one.

"No no, _KOP, _with a 'k,'" Tony explained. It didn't help.

Gibbs snatched the calendar from DiNozzo's hand, much to Tony's annoyance. Gibbs, upon reading the calendar, realized Tony's mistake. "That's _K.O.P.,_ DiNozzo. Probably someone's initials," Gibbs explained slowly.

"Must've missed the little dots, boss," Tony stated quickly; his feelings were slightly hurt at being spoken to as if he were nine. He recovered rather quickly. "Any idea who K.O.P. is?

Gibbs shook his head. "Ask Lizzy that when we talk to her, DiNozzo."

After speaking to Gibbs, McGee went to 'relieve himself', thinking that Lizzy could stand just a few minutes more with Abby.

When he returned to the lab, the first thing he noticed was Elizabeth's overwhelmed and slightly frazzled expression. At that moment, Abby noticed his presence, and ran over to him. She clutched his upper arm, and dragged him towards where Elizabeth was sitting on a stool. Elizabeth gave him an immensely relived smile when she saw him.

Abby greeted him cheerily while smiling at Elizabeth. "Hey McGee! I was just about to ask Lizzy a-"

McGee cut her off with the announcement that he was going to give Lizzy a tour of the building. Abby was too over-sugared to mind.

Once out in the hallway, Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry you had to meet Abby in one of her caffeine-overload moments. She's usually very nice."

"Oh no, she was very nice. I mean, I don't usually talk much, but she had me telling her everything from my favorite color to what I found most interesting about the French Revolution," Lizzy stated, looking slightly perplexed.

McGee stopped walking. "The French Revolution? How...?"

Lizzy shook her head. "I have no idea."

McGee took Elizabeth on the promised tour [excluding restricted areas, of course] and introduced her to anyone they met along the way. Lizzy didn't miss the strange looks she received from most of the people. She was planning to ask McGee if he knew what was going on. However, just then, a young man with Harry Potter-esque glasses rounded the corner in front of them.

"Hey Palmer," McGee called.

"Oh hi, McGee!" Palmer replied, before spotting Elizabeth. His eyes went wide behind his glasses, and he blinked rapidly a few times.

"Uh, Palmer, this is Lizzy Connoway. She'll be around here a lot, so I thought I'd get her used to the place." McGee's words seemed to snap Palmer out of whatever kind of daze he was in.

"Hello," Elizabeth said, extending her hand for Palmer to shake.

"Hi! I'm Jimmy Palmer. You can call me Jimmy. I work in Autopsy with Doctor Mallard."

Lizzy raised her eyebrows. "Mallard?" she questioned. "He must have gotten teased so much in school. Poor guy."

Jimmy smiled. "Doctor Mallard is good about it. He even adopted one of the nicknames people gave him."

Lizzy gave a slight smile. "I think I'd like to meet Doctor Mallard."

"We were just about to head down to Autopsy," McGee stated.

"I'll come with you guys," Jimmy chirped.

Once they had all gotten into the elevator, Jimmy started, "You know, Lizzy, you remind me of-" a look from McGee cut him off. "-someone I knew in school," he finished slowly.

Elizabeth just nodded. _So that's what the looks have been about. I remind them of someone they knew. _But Elizabeth hadn't missed the glance McGee gave Jimmy. If McGee didn't want her to know, she shouldn't ask. _I'll just have to get it out of someone else._

When the day was done, Lizzy felt that she had been to the Naval Base many times before. When she had made her way to Autopsy, she, like many before her, had been charmed by Doctor Mallard- or 'Ducky," as he had requested she call him.

While McGee had gone to get more coffee (and an Irish Breakfast tea for Elizabeth), she had made herself at home in the vacant desk in the squadroom. Since it was unoccupied, she took the liberty of opening all of the drawers. They were all empty, as was expected. However, the one on the bottom right was locked. Elizabeth vaguely wondered why an unused desk would have a locked drawer, but she didn't pay it much mind; McGee had just gootten back.

"You can't be in that desk, Lizzy," he said seriously.

"Why not? It _is _unoccupied, isn't it?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"So why can't I sit in it, then?"

McGee paused, thinking. It was _her _desk. _Not anymore, _he thought. _She left it when she left us. _There really wasn't any legitimate reason why Lizzy couldn't sit in the desk. _Hey, this might be a good thing. It's time we all start moving on. _

"Nevermind, you can sit there," he decided.

"Thank you."

As McGee sat down behind his own desk, his phone rang. He picked it up with a prompt "Agent McGee."

_"McGee, I need to talk to Lizzy," _Gibbs barked.

"Sure, boss. Want me to put her on?"

_"No, McGee. MTAC. Now."_

"Right boss," McGee replied as Gibbs hung up.

McGee turned to Elizabeth. He stood up and said, "Gibbs wants to talk to you. C'mon." Elizabeth jumped to her feet, and followed McGee as he strode out of the bullpen.

"Do you know anyone with the initials K.O.P.?" Gibbs asked as Elizabeth stood before the enormous screen.

Elizabeth's eyebrows furrowed. "Well, there was a girl I knew in kindergarten whose name was Katelyn Olivia Parlow, but I don't think that's relevant, is it?"

"Not unless your mother would be meeting her for some reason."

"I doubt that my mother even knew who she was." Elizabeth's throat tightened at the thought of her mother. _Hold it together. You can cry later. _"Where did you find these initials?"

"In your mother's planner." Gibbs held it up. "Does that mean anything to you?"

The calendar was a bit difficult to see on the screen, but Elizabeth could see well enough to make out the initials. As soon as she saw them written in the corner of the little box marked as the coming Friday, Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh. Every person on either side of the screen looked at her quite strangely. DiNozzo looked as if he thought she was certifiable.

"Those aren't anyone's initials. They're an abbreviation for the King of Prussia mall!" She smiled [a bit smugly] at the expression of embarrassment on DiNozzo's face. The man obviouslydidn't enjoy being wrong. _Glad I could be the one to humiliate the jerk._

Gibbs nodded and asked, "Well, do you have any idea why your mother would be going there often?"

"She wouldn't. My mother hated the mall. It was always much too crowded for her liking. She only ever went when she really needed something."

"Then can you explain why her calendar says that she went there every Friday night?"

"_Every Friday night?_" Elizabeth questioned disbeleivingly.

"Yes."

"That is not possible. My mother worked late every Friday night," Elizabeth stated simply. _What has my mother been keeping from me? _


End file.
